Doctor Who: The Icicles of Space
by Revfew
Summary: The Doctor, now travelling with a new K9, arrives on the best hotel in space for relaxation. The only problem? Murdering robots are on board, and three icicles are hurtling towards the hotel, threatening to rip it apart...
1. Chapter 1

The isolation of space was a friend to the crew of the Dominion, or at least for the fifteen months it had taken to painstakingly build. The universe's highest-quality hotel, it resembled a curved pointed cylinder, surrounded by a circular glass tunnel for viewing the beautiful galaxy around them. This large tube, jokingly referred to as the "Intestine", was connected by smaller tubes made of flimsy-but-safe plastic referred to as the "Bronchioli". The architect, the great Lupos Brown, had an obsession with body parts at the time and so had named everything, even the anus. Although the crew preferred to refer to it as the "bowel".

Jenkins Smith and Emilia Milio were in the middle of the pyramid when it came to ranking. Not quite important, but not dirt either. They had the authority to forcibly remove guests, and the authority to visit the gun-rooms (known as the E.Y.E.S for EnergY Emitting Sentries, although sometimes referred to as ionizers, which when prompted could shoot an entire planet from the sky), but not the authority to enter the main control area, or to enter an escape pod on the cusp of threat. It was an unfair disadvantage of monumental sacrifice, but it kept the families of each of them afloat, and brought to them new friends and new stories to tell, so who cared at the end? Either way, they got something out of it.

The Dominion worked on a cosmic storm basis. Any areas of the galaxy that was docile, and without stormy conditions such as solar flares or interstellar Artron lightning, they would vacation at. Other than that, they would simply drift in space, alone with their thoughts and a surplus of empty, dusty rooms that could never be entered without a guest pass. This pass cost about 50 Nargs extra, and in such times of economic deflation that fee was hard to come by. Nevertheless people came from far and wide in order to have the infamous claim to fame, from the various television adverts: "We Reign in the Dominion!"

Smith and Milio were about twenty meters from the entrance into the main bulk, walking through the lower end of the Intestine like it was a country garden. They both felt less full of energy and more full of sleep at this point, due to their various lives the night previous.

"Why do we always get stuck with this job? I mean, you can never be so stupid as to stow away on a glass tube where anyone can see you." moaned Jenkins, in that thick Edinburgh accent that everyone but Emilia found amusing. He had a slight limp, given to him after a door had accidentally slammed down on his leg.

"Well, Miriam is...well, Miriam. And she loves everyone else. So that's why. Now, could you stop moaning? I'm trying to keep a mental count of the cracks in the floor."

They shuffled along, turning the final round corner. Smith spotted something.

"What the hell is...oh no. Oh jesus run!"

The screams of Smith and Milio were all that could be heard in the Intestine, as they were ripped apart by the thing that lay within.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The Doctor, in his eleventh incarnation, stood in the control room of his TARDIS with nothing to do.

"What should we do K9?"

In the space beneath the console was K9, the Doctor's computer which resembled a robotic dog without legs. The Doctor had picked up this mark, Mark VII, three weeks ago after parting company with his old companion Maxine. Ever since he'd found himself bored, slowly hopping from time to planet without any care.

"Data irretrievable master, I do not possess the necessary data to predict your thought patterns."

"I know, I was...now I see why I put you in storage. Eugh."

He held his head in his hands.

"What is the problem, master?"

"Nothing, just a headache."

"Searching data-banks for possible relief. Might I suggest a holiday, master?"

"A holiday...sounds good. Good dog K9!"

"Affirmative, master."

"I know just the place! Great big hotel in space, looks like an olive pit with a wedding ring. Hopefully it's dog friendly!"

He whizzed around the console, flicking a lever with a significant lack of care. He was smiling, excited for the first time in weeks.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The chief security operator Niles Operhimer had searched high and low for the two missing officers, suspecting everything from foul play to eloping. He'd searched the whole of the main area, and had now moved onto the Intestine without a sufficient amount of energy left in him to care. He flicked up the "Door-Open" switch and stepped out to find a stream of dried, flaking blood beneath his boot-clad feet. He raised his cuff to his mouth.

"Get me an armed double now. NOW!"

He walked further along, finding himself in the midst of either an abstract masterpiece or a butchery. There were lungs and brains spread across the glass walls and normal floors, along with the half-stripped, exposed-bones body of Jenkins Smith. Next to him lay half a body, obviously that of Emilia Milio. He sighed, and raised his cuff again.

"Ignore that last order. We'll need medics instead. Thank god we're not hosting guests."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll**

The TARDIS stopped materialising in what seemed to be a tunnel.

"So, K9, you know where we are?"

"Affirmative. The Avilon galaxy. Approximately ten parsecs w-"

"Yeah yeah I know. But where exactly?"

"The Dominion, master. Five star galactic hotel."

"Good, at least your location systems are working."

He went outside, leaving the door open for K9 before closing it. There was a smell of cleaning agents and sweat, which made the whole experience quite unpleasant.

"K9," the Doctor whispered, bending down, "can you analyse what the smell is?"

"Affirmative, master." K9 whispered back. The Doctor chuckled at the level of vocal loudness. The computer/dog's ears moved left to right for two seconds.

"Analysis complete, master. Substance is a mixture of Acetic Acid and Sodium hypochlorite solution."

"Vinegar and bleach. Someone's trying to clean up."

He walked forward and found himself staring into the cold dead eyes of a bald man, who held a gun.

"Who are you?" he asked, a smoker's-growl.

"The Doctor."

"We don't have guests, so where did you come from?"

"Oh, just popped aboard. Y'know, just a quick holiday for my head. Kinda like Poirot in Evil Under The Sun. You ever read it? I digress."

"Well, Doctor, if you aren't a guest, then I'll have to presume the truth. You are a murderer, and shall be sentenced to death!"

The Doctor sighed. Not another death sentence.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor shook his head.

"I-I just got here, nothing to do with me!"

The man also shook his head.

"Is this how you treat your guests?! I'm appalled!"

The man grabbed the Doctor's hands and tried to place them behind his back. However, K9 blasted laser bolts and caused the man to fall to the ground in pain, tucking his smoking wrists into his chest.

"Good dog! Now run!"

They escaped through a small tube into a lavish hallway. The Doctor looked around and found a computer bank, whipping out his sonic screwdriver to scan it. The lights went out with a low hum, which made the Doctor smile.

"Now they'll come!"

"All outcomes lead to death, master."

"Oh shut up."

Three armed men stormed inside.

"You took your time!"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

Miriam Kithbert-Stockard had her office made of only the best foreign wood. Overlooking the main control room, which meant she could look out the large panoramic glass window at the beautiful massive surroundings of space. All she did all day was sit at her desk and drink scotch while filling out daily reports on crew members. The job was more demanding than it sounded, and had dragged her away from the earth and her niece.

The doors opened and a scruffy ruffian was pushed into the control room.

"Oi! I don't like how we're being treated! Isn't that right K9?"

"Affirmative, master."

"See! Dog with sass! Love a dog with sass!"

The shaved head of "Binko" Jollins, deputy head, moved forward.

"Shut up! You have killed two people, a man and a woman who work on this ship! How do you plea?"

"Not guilty. Got proof too. Y'know, if you boosted your Zyloe output, you could save 50% of your power."

"Where is this proof?"

"I didn't do it. There's your proof. Now, we'll just be off-"

"Guards, get ready to-"

"No!"

They all looked up at Miriam, who felt embarrassed at this outburst. Aged 55, and blurting things out like that. The accused smiled, and gave her a thumbs up. She nodded politely. She exited the office and walked down a set of steps to the others.

"What's your name?"

"The Doctor. This, uh, is K9. Say hello K9."

"Good evening."

"Good dog."

"And you're of the opinion this fellow and his robot dog brutally ripped apart two human beings, despite neither of them having a drop of blood on them? Do try to grow up and think, Binko. You may learn something."

She turned to a young woman typing furiously.

"Did we regain any of the CCTV footage?"

"Just about ready to debug...there."

A clip of a small, compact silver object flashed up. It was surrounded by blood and guts, and was tinged in red.

"That's our killer, ma'am."

"But that's-"

"A masthead from a ship." the Doctor concluded. He turned to Binko, made an odd movement with his hands, then turned to Miriam.

"Is it at all possible for me to have a look at the crime scene?"

"Why?"

"Because whatever that robot is, and it's quite frankly appallingly obvious that it's a robot...whatever it wants, it's still here. Maybe its controller too."

He looked at the woman who had previously been working on the footage.

"Can your systems do anything cool?"

"Well, yeah. They can interface with any local systems, do sudoku-"

"Can they do a full scan of the hotel?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Cool. May I?"

"Sure."

He typed in an action, and a small holographic image popped up. There was nothing unusual.

"I'm still going to have a look."

"I'll come too."

"No offence Binko, but I trust robots against robots on this one. Come on K9!"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

He bent over and smelled the blood, immediately popping back off the floor and grimacing.

"Phwoar! Have a look at that."

K9 analysed the blood.

"Substance unidentifiable."

"I know what it is. Bornium oil. Whatever this robot is, it's cheap."

There was an air vent on the wall. The Doctor smelled the wall and recoiled again.

"Bornium again. It's in the vents."

He took out the sonic and began removing the screws on the grid of metal. He flung it on the ground and removed a torch from his jacket. He shone its light inside the vent, and immediately could smell Bornium. Looking around inside, he could see a glistening reflection in the distant metal, and a sound that was almost like a buzzsaw...

He dived down as the circular saw shot out of the vent, and back again. He backed away on the ground, then jumped back up. He looked at K9, gave a gesture, then nodded. To his amusement, K9 nodded back. The Doctor sidled back to the vent, and as soon as the saw popped back out, K9 blasted it. The saw arm went limp, allowing the Doctor to pull out the robot from the footage. He put it on the ground and started mockingly playing football with it, nudging it with his foot through the door. He picked it up carefully and ran back to the main control room.

"Now, we'll have to work against the clock if we're going to examine it."

"Why?" asked Binko. It was really more of a snarl.

"Because I'm sure it's going to reactivate soon."

He took off his jacket, and pulled up his sleeves. He broke it in two like some metal lobster, revealing clumps of wires and a pool of Bornium oil. He ripped the saw off too.

"Cheap." he explained, throwing the blade on the ground. He then got a pair of wire-cutters from his pocket and snipped two wires.

"Done."

"What did you do?"

"Rewired it. Should give us a designation now."

The robot whirred.

"Designation Vorr-Drar 8851111. Surveillance and Defence."

Miriam and Binko looked at the Doctor. He looked confused.

"Surveillance for who?"

K9 started whirring.

"Danger, master. Danger."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Hostile projectiles imminent."

The Doctor turned to the woman at the computer.

"Can you-"

"Already on it!"

The window's resolution improved, and zoomed in on the distance. Three pointed objects were flying fast towards them. Not missiles though.

"Those look like-"

"Icicles. Giant icicles."

"But they'll rip the hotel in two!"


	3. Chapter 3

"What do we do?!"

"Calm down for starters. Binko, have we still got backup ionizers?"

"Yeah, it'd shatter them."

"Which isn't what we want." The Doctor interjected.

"Why?"

"Break them up into harder to defend against, smaller shards?"

"Oh."

The Doctor took a pair of glasses out and slipped them on. He looked at the oncoming icicles again, then turned to Binko.

"Is there any place with a better view?"

"There's an observation deck on level BB96."

"Well, we haven't got a moment to lose, unless you want to lose some moments which is fine by me. Coming K9?"

"Affirmative, master."

"You too Binko. Need a tour guide."

He turned his attention to Miriam.

"Whatever you do, do _not _fire."

"I'm perfectly capable of recognising a danger zone, Doctor."

"Never said you weren't!"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

They faced an enormous window, the biggest the Doctor had ever seen.

"Well, I tell a lie, fifth biggest."

The fifth most enormous window he'd ever seen, the perfect vantage point.

"They'll be here in fifteen minutes."

"How can you tell?"

"I get an accurate sense of time, being a Time Lord. Plus K9 told me."

"But we have deflector shields!"

"Embers can still get through a fire-guard. No, nothing will stop them."

Binko sighed.

"I had a girlfriend at home. Fiancé, really. Great girl."

"She have a name?"

"Yeah. Clara, her name was."

"Hmm. Nice name, Clara."

"Yeah. Anyway, you got any plans Doctor?"

"I was hoping they'd melt by name, Binko. You have an actual name?"

"Ian. But I prefer Binko."

"I knew an Ian once. Great man, knighted he was."

"What happened to him?"

"Oh, he went home with his friend. I travel with many people, y'know. And sometimes, when they leave, I wonder. I wonder if they ever stop and remember me. I wonder if they close their eyes and sigh and move on."

"Do you think, or hope?"

"Neither, I forget. Easiest thing to do."

The hotel intercom buzzed quickly.

"Doctor, it's Miriam. We're getting some traces of dangerous activities in the generator room. I'd go there myself, but I daren't risk it."

"Understood."

He looked at Binko.

"Generators are?..."

"Level KB54."

"Which is?"

"Thirty levels wide, two levels east."

"How long a walk?"

"20 minutes."

"Elevator?"

"No."

"Good. Walking'll keep the blood going! Come on K9!"

"Affirmative, master."

"Binko?"

"Affirm- yeah, Doctor."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The generator room was damp, and obviously built with cheapness in mind.

"Careful, could be _**ANYTHING!**_"

The Doctor slipped, and his back smashed on the ground.

"Bornium oil. Ugh. Another robot."

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

"I think it's better if you see for yourself."

The Doctor crept forward and saw not a robot, but a _cluster _of robots, bolted awkwardly to each other. They formed an uneven circle, banging against the generator with immense power and force.

"K9, I need you to hit the one in the middle."

"There is no definite centre point, master."

"Then just fire!"

K9 began to shoot, sending things into sparks. The robots stopped working, and began to converge on the three of them like mice to cheese.

"Right, well, in the normal circumstances I'd love to chat but right now I think it would be best if we _run!_"

They burst out, the robots in pursuit, but ducked when they found Operhimer and two others with guns at the ready. They tore through the robots, reducing them to useless metal and inoperative circuitry. Operhimer helped the Doctor and Binko up, and gave a sly nod to K9.

"You two are having trouble with safety."

"Oi, K9 counts!"

"I know."

The Doctor looked outside, and saw the icicles were still coming.

"Come on," he said, "time to be Poirot."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The Doctor had put on a fake curly mustache and a grey hat, but had taken them off when no one had gotten the joke.

"Now, we've been trying to figure out the robots, right?"

They all nodded.

"Well, simple solution is this: one of you smuggled them on board."

"What?!"

"Someone brings them on to sabotage, to make sure you'd all be stuck in place."

"For the icicles!"

"Exactly. This was all planned out, ages in advance. But it went wrong."

"How?"

"Well, the robots killed them."

"Wait, so Smith and Emilia brought the robots?! Why?!"

"I dunno. Blackmail, disdain, something like that. But it all links back to the icicles. Whatever they are, they aren't just icicles."

He looked at Miriam.

"Can I _please _use my ship? Get a closer look at icicles?"

She sighed.

"Fine."

He smiled, gave two thumbs up, told K9 to stay and then ran to find the TARDIS. He dematerialised and then rematerialised next to the icicles. He opened the door, and looked at a nearby icicle. He could see the ice was frozen in a specific way, like someone had thrown water at a ball and flash-frozen it. He rooted around at the console and found a small telescope. Using it he could see, but barely see, small grills running up and down the icicle's innards.

He arrived back on the hotel and ran back into the control room.

"Right, they aren't icicles."

"How?"

"It's ice, don't get me wrong, but not icicle ice. Something's frozen inside, coming here."

"Don't know whether to be worried or confused."

"Being frighteningly intrigued usually does it for me. All that's left is finding out what is frozen."

"How do we find out?"

"Do what everyone else does, what for it to melt of course! K9, how long til they melt?"

K9's ears whirred.

"Approximately 4 minutes, master."

"And how long until until they get here?"

"4 minutes, master."

"Talk about luck!"

Binko looked annoyed.

"So we just wait and do nothing?"

"What's wrong with waiting? It saves time!"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The icicles were in close proximity, and began to melt.

"Doctor! Look!"

The icicles were now more or less melted. Inside was recognisable, an almost flat disk with grills running up both sides. Each one had a tinted window. The Doctor sighed.

"Spaceships. All this was about an invasion!"

The ships docked, and two seconds later three tall men walked in. They very much resembled Vikings, but carried laser rifles.

"Gnarrr!" their leader snarled. Operhimer fired at them, but was disintegrated by one of the laser rifles.

"That was uncalled for!"

"Quiet earthman! We are Nords! And we claim this for the invasion of Earth!"


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor straightened his bowtie and laughed.

"You're not getting anything."

The Nords seemed to tuck their chins into their lapel every five minutes.

"We will have our victory!"

"You can have it all except your victory! See how you like that because _I am the Doctor _and I defend humanity to their final steps!"

The lead Nord laughed, then swiped the Doctor right across the room. He groaned on the floor and closed his eyes.

"Give the word out to Earth. Get them to send us help and guidance!"

"Or what?"

The Nord fired a shot at the window, which wasted the government-implemented protective blast shielding.

"Or I shoot again and take you all down."

"But you'll die!"

"Not if we hold on to something."

There was a shuffling.

"You're thick for a space viking. Although, vikings weren't known for brains." The Doctor laughed, activating the computer.

"What are you doing?!"

"Hacking into local systems, ie your ships. Cool, isn't it? Not really?"

The ships outside began to throb and eventually cracked in two.

"Rerouted all your power into the hulls. I'm going to be seriously injured now."

The Nords dived at him, but held their heads in anger, but also anguish. Everyone in the room felt like they could feel the pain, the struggle to breath a different kind of air, their lungs scraping with the agony.

"Doctor, what's happening?!"

"They must rely on their ships, for air supplies. No wonder they kept tucking in their chins!"

The Nords finally stopped, collapsing without life nor determination to live just one last second.

"Well, that's that. We're safe now?"

"Far from it. Every invasion has a mothership."

"So where is it?"

"I have a sinking suspicion we're standing right in it."

The doors opened and robots flooded in, followed by an immense Nord with flowing grey hair and no eyes. He wore his lack of sight with pride, seemingly covering up the two holes with flaps of his uneven skin.

"Pitiful humans!"

"Disgusting Nord!"

The Nord growled.

"I am Sketskar the Goliath!"

"I am Doctor the Coolest!"

Sketskar had a booming laugh, like a plane flying dangerously close to the motorway. His hands were like mighty tree-trunks, with fingers like thick, juicy sausages. His chest was puffed up, as if he were a rooster with a horde of trophies and diploma.

"You are amusing human. I shall kill you last."

"Oh, but you're so wrong!"

"Tell me why!"

"Well for starters I'm a Time Lord, the last one. I fought in and ended the Last Great Time War, I'm 1004 years old, I've got a robot dog and most importantly, I love the human race. So, why don't you think over how much you want to invade earth, how much this plan of yours means to you...and run anyway."

Sketskar just laughed again.

"I have many dangerous robot. What do you possess?"

"One that moves quietly."

K9 began to figuratively blast his head off, sparking up every robot with relative ease.

"Task accomplished, master."

"There!"

"Powerpack depleted, master. Shutting down."

"Not so good. Ok."

Sketskar growled.

"Why do you need earth anyway?"

"Our planet, Vohla, was devoured by ancient beings in the time of times. We tried to run, and some did. I was at the forefront of the exodus."

"Are you hungry?"

"Why?"

"Because I've got an apple here and-oops!"

The Doctor chucked the apple into the space under Sketskar's chin, and ran. He went back to pick up K9, and beckoned to the others. The woman who had been working at the computer was grabbed by a desperate Sketskar, who snapped her neck. Binko picked up two of the guns.

"No guns!" The Doctor yelled. Binko sighed, and handed one to Miriam.

"What now?!"

"Escape pods!"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The Doctor sighed, catching his breath as he leaned against the wall.

"I knew a man once, called Ebertia. Used to call him Ebert for laughs. He was like Sketskar, powerful, imposing. But he was also one of the greatest people I've ever known."

"Why are you telling us this?"

"Because there may be a bit of Ebertia in Sketskar. He may look at our reasoning and move on."

"Not today, Time Lord!"

Sketskar trudged around the corner, breathing heavily. His feet squelched, which they had the gruesome misfortune of discovering that this was indeed caused by blood in his shoes.

"Nords bleed when close to death." he spat, giving with it a jet of crimson.

"I can help you, Sketskar. Please!"

"No, Time Lord. I want you to know that you did this. I want you to know you- GAKKH."

Binko fired a laser shot, dissolving Sketskar into nothingness.

"Saved...saved him pain. I did...right, didn't I? I did the...right...thing?" he spluttered, before vomiting from disgust and intense shock.

"Even I don't know." the Doctor concluded, lowering his eyes to the floor.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The Doctor stood in the open door space of the TARDIS.

"Goodbye, Doctor."

"Goodbye Miriam. No more guests for a while, at least not in this galaxy."

"How did Sketskar get on board?"

"I don't know. Could have been smuggled on with the robots. Definitely didn't use those ships. It's a mystery for...well, someone else."

He stepped inside, and Miriam watched in amazement as the box flickered in and out of existence, with a metallic groan. She walked down the corridor, worryingly noticing that Binko's pockets seemed to be dripping black oil.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The TARDIS stopped materialising, and the Doctor activated the scanner. Outside was night, dark and piercing. There were trees on the horizon, as well as large bats and birds. There seemed to be a sharp incline ahead of the ship, probably some kind of hill. The trees were classic signs of a jungle, a tropical one at that by the feel of it. He both loved the look of it and felt a sense that the jungle was about to bring him a tormenting headache.

"Well, come on K9."

"Danger, master!"

"Oh shut up."

But he should have listened, should have stayed a little longer, because the moment he closed the doors a bright orange orb shot across the sky.

**The End.**

**To be continued in "Tribal".**


End file.
